RFC for Server Reboots

If a live server is required to be rebooted, with no changes being made, should an RFC be raised (either upfront or retrospectively) according to the ITIL process?

A:

Per the ITIL definition, yes, a RFC should be submitted for a server reboot. An ITIL Change is defined as the change of status or attribute of a Configuration Item. Even if you don’t have a formal CMDB, most people would agree that a server’s status and attributes should be tracked.

Rebooting a server takes the status of the server from online to offline and then back to online.

I would hope that a mature Change Management process would handle this as a Standard (pre-approved) Change or a Minor (the Change Manager has the authority to approve) Change. Having every server reboot go to the CAB could needlessly weigh down the process.